1. Fighting watercolor’s natural flow

Watercolor can have a mind of its own. The mistake beginners make is not understanding the medium’s natural flow and forcing it to behave in the way other drier mediums would. Watercolor is a fluid medium. It moves with gravity and water. Adding more paint is not always the solution, nor is painting without a plan.

The fix:

To have a better understanding of watercolor’s characteristics, watch other artists. Learn techniques specific to watercolor. Pay attention to the direction of your brushstrokes and be aware of how quickly or slowly paint dries.

2. Overloading brushes with too much water

It’s in the name, right? Watercolor means using a lot of water. Beginners tend to use too much water, which can result in colors bleeding uncontrollably and paper becoming oversaturated. This can be frustrating and lead to a feeling of being out of control.

The fix:

To understand water content, engage in painting exercises specifically designed to help you grasp this concept. Enhance your comprehension of water-to-paint ratios and their impact on transparency. Experiment with different proportions of water and paint on paper to observe how they interact. Through these experiments, you will develop a sense of control over the water content and create significantly better paintings.

3. Being impatient and not layering.

Beginners often rush the painting process, not waiting for each layer to dry completely before applying the next one. This can lead to unwanted blending and colors bleeding into each other.

The fix:

Start by being patient, making sure each layer is dry. Watercolor painting starts with the most transparent layers first, then gradually builds up to darker, more saturated layers. Throughout each layer, make sure the paper is dry to the touch before adding a second layer.

Which of these mistakes have you found yourself guilty of?